Plaguing Truth
by NicosWriting 87
Summary: The Harbingers of the Outbreak have arrived and they want Carl and he has come down with Scarlet Fever. This story combines the Walking Dead with themes of another show can you guess what one it'll be pretty obvious trust me. Plz read and Review
1. Chapter 1

Many believe the Walker Plague was a natural virus, even more believe that Earth-born medicine can cure it.

The Order of the Crystal Gems know better, no virus this powerful could occur in the natural universe.

The Gems have seen this outbreak before, when they're own home world was extinguished.

The outbreak was the prelude to something far more terrible.

For the last four years the remaining members of the White Diamond Authority or WDA have been observing the progress of the Reanimation Plague on Earth that vestige of human-life in the galaxy.

Their attention are drawn to the plight of Rick Grimes and his group, especially the antics of his teenaged son, Carl.

They watched as the Grimes group defended their prison sanctuary from The Governor and his militia of civilians.

"White Diamond, that boy is quite impressive" spoke a woman dressed in a skin-tight interstellar jump suit, emblazoned with a white diamond shaped symbol on her chest.

Her oddest features were her sea-foam colored hair and oval gemstone situated on her forehead.

"Yes Aqua, I have been observing him as well" spoke a very formal looking woman.

Her hair was snow white and his cream-color eyes were alight with mirth.

"Has Blue Topaz, sent the results of his Gem Pulse Analysis."

White Diamond inquired intently of Aqua to which she shook her head in the negative.

"Not that I expected much from a peasant." Aqua added as an afterthought .

The two turn back to their holographic screen just in time to see Carl Grimes pull off a nearly impossible shot with his pistol from a nearly as astounding distance.

Just then a computer console to their right lights up and started beeping Aqua walked it a button

"Go ahead and you better have the results Blue Topaz" Aqua said with disdain.

"Of course Lady Aquamarine" Blue Topaz responded over the com-link.

"The Gem Pulse Analysis has confirmed that, the boy is indeed a dormant Crystal Gem, he hasn't attained Gem Glow yet. Furthermore my readings show him to be a gem that hasn't been seen in thousands of years...an Alexandrite!"

Aquamarine's eyes widen however White Diamond split into cynical grin

"An Alexandrite huh...Aquamarine set course for the prison.

Down on Earth, at the Prison, Hershel had informed Rick of Carl's gunning down of an innocent boy.

It was currently well pass midnight most of the population inside the prison were asleep except for Carl he was currently up trying to calm down an extremely fussy Judith.

Apparently the group's newest addition was having some digestion problems and was painfully constipated.

Poor Judith was screaming at the top her little lungs.

Carl wasn't sure how to help his sister and with his dad off in crazy town he was starting to lose it.

Luckily Carol was passing by and noticed that the boy's body was on the brink of collapse.

"Carl, let me take Judith for the night" She said entering the room.

Carl looked up and Carol could see just how exhausted the boy was, especially after today's events.

She seriously doubted weather or not Carl had gotten a solid night's sleep since Lori died.

Carl nodded and handed the screaming baby to Carol.

"Get some sleep Carl, sleep deprivation can weaken your immune system."

The boy nodded and walked over to his cot and basically face planted on his pillow and was out in moments.

To Carl it had felt like he had only just fell asleep when he was being shaken awake by his father.

"Carl...Carl we need to tend the farm, today's your day to do the weeding"

The teen mumbled something unintelligible.

Rick must have took it as an acknowledgment and left to get ready himself.

The moment his father left Carl felt something was terribly off, his head was pounding and wanted nothing more than to sink back in to the warm embrace of sleep.

The youth with great effort managed to finally stand up.

He walked a few steps before catching sight of his reflection in the mirror-like surface of the upper bunk's metal frame.

His face looked bleached of all color except is cheeks which were flushed. Carl felt awful but his father needed his help so he needed to be strong.

He steeled himself with youthful determination in his cobalt eyes. He succeeds in freshening himself and making his way down to the main area and noticed Daryl, Michonne, Carol and Beth sitting around the table.

Carl opens his mouth to greet them but his throat suddenly throbs, it twinges so violently that it sent Carl in to a coughing fit.

The coughing sounded harsh to his own ears.

The sudden rasped symptom alerted the other four, Daryl, Michonne and Beth watched carefully while Carol looked like she was expecting this.

Carl's coughing became so violent that he fell to his knees,The others were out of there seats in a flash.

The first to reach the ailing teen was Michonne since she was closest.

"Carl, take deep breaths" she instructed lightly patting his back.

After what seemed like forever Carl regained control of his breathing.

Carl was completely out of breath, panting as if he had just ran ten 100-meter dashes.

He also noticed the slight headache he had when he woke up had quadrupled in intensity.

The boy brings his hand to his temple and proceeded to massage it.

Beth walked up slowly and squatted down so she could see Carl's face and she gasped when she did.

"Carl, you look terrible; are you feeling alright."

Carl tried to respond but his sore throat wouldn't yield.

The teen looked up at Beth and Michonne with pained eyes although his face was stoically neutral.

Michonne placed a dark-skinned hand against Carl's forehead but withdrew it quickly as if it were on fire.

"You're burning up, cancel helping your father today, besides with how high your fever is I'm surprised you could get up at all."

Without waiting for acknowledgment Michonne picked Carl up with surprising strength.

She did wonder why he wasn't resisting and when she looked down at him she immediately saw why.

Carl had passed out from the combination of his fever and headache.

Michonne brought him to his room/cell and lowered him onto the soft surface.

She took his hat off and shoes off and covered him with a bed sheet.

"Rest Carl, if your father loses you; that might be too much"

As if on cue Rick came in to the cell

"Why isn't Carl up, he was moving when I was in here twenty minutes ago."

"Rick, Carl is sick...he has both a really high fever and a nasty headache and from what happened downstairs I think his throat is so sore that he can't even talk." Michonne informed him.

Rick heard this and immediately raked his eyes down his son's form, noticing Carl's pale face and flushed cheeks. He brushed the teen's brown bangs aside and instantly felt the intense heat.

Michonne was right Carl was sick, very sick.

A moment later Hershel entered the room

"Beth and Carol told me what happened, let me take a more thorough look at him"

Rick and Michonne stood aside.

Hershel sits down on a vacant spot and inspects Carl's features and noticed something the others didn't, that Carl's tongue was a rosy color.

This alarmed Hershel he had seen this before and it is that reason that caused him to pull down the collar of Carl's shirt and what he saw marking the teen's skin confirmed his suspicion.

"He has Scarlet Fever; the rash, fever, headache and above all an extremely sore throat."

All color drained from Rick and Michonne's faces

"Scarlet Fever is really dangerous to kids" Michonne stated "My boyfriend told me he had it when he was ten, it almost killed him"

Rick looked at her and than back at his son, who's eyes snapped open Carl instantly rolled onto his side retched vomiting over the side of the bed, Hershel helped him by rubbing his back soothingly.

"Easy there, easy" He helped Carl to lay back on the bed. The teen wiped his mouth with a groan, that's when he noticed Michonne and Rick.

"Sorry Dad, I wanted to help you..."Carl rasped painfully before coughing again.

"It's alright Carl, everyone gets sick from time-to-time" his father said placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.

Carl let out a sigh of relief, his father wasn't disappointed.

"Just concentrate on getting better, that means you do what Hershel tells you to the syllable understand?"

Rick stated but he didn't get a response, Carl had already fallen asleep again.

Rick then realized just how exhausted his son must be with all he's had to do lately.

He smiled

"Sleep son I'll see you later."


	2. Chapter 2

Carl was awoken to the sounds of hushed voices, when he peeled open his eyes he is met with the sight of his empty cell.

The first thing the boy noted is that the pain in his head had diminished substantially.

The second was the cold rag on his forehead and the third was brought to his attention by his stomach as it growled loudly.

All in all Carl felt loads better he cautiously swung his legs over the side of his bed and planted his sock clad feet on the cell's cold stone floor and stood up.

Like before he caught the sight of his reflection in the metal frame of the top bunk, Carl's face was still a bit paler than normal but aside from that he looked better.

Carl quickly put his shoes on and carefully walked out of his room and descended the stairs. Only Beth, Maggie and Hershel were inside at this moment.

They all turned towards him as he entered the lower area.

Beth was the first to speak

"Carl, we were beginning to worry" she said as her surrogate little brother sat down with them.

The boy gave her a confused look

"You were out for nearly four days"

Carl actually had to do a double-take

"F-four days!" the lad exclaimed, no wonder he was so hungry.

A can of food was set in front of him by Maggie as Hershel spoke next

"You need to eat Carl, you need to restore your strength" the boy didn't need to be told twice.

"Make sure take your time, you haven't eaten lately so your body will not be ready too much too soon." the aging vet stated firmly.

Carl nodded and went more slowly.

Silence descended on the group as the teen ate his food.

Once finished the boy carefully stood up fully aware that his body was still in recovery mode.

"I'm going to take a short walk outside, since I've knocked out in here the last four days."

The rest nodded with bright smiles.

"Yes, I believe the fresh air will do you some good" Carl smiled weakly before slowly making his way out the door.

He stepped out onto the landing of outdoor staircase.

Carl's cobalt orbs fall upon the prison yard a few feet below, he noticed Glenn and Daryl bent over the roof a car; a large map open in front of them.

"Probably planning their next run" the teen said, saying his thoughts aloud.

Carl takes his time and slowly descends the stairs and walks towards Glenn and Daryl.

The huntsman is the first to notice the youth's approach.

Daryl nudged Glenn and nodded his head in Carl's general direction.

"He lives!" Glenn teased with a smirk.

The boy flashed a small smile.

"Gave everyone a right scare" mentioned Daryl "Ya still look like shit"

That's Daryl Dixon the tells it like it is.

"I know" was Carl's reply.

"If your looking for your dad, he's over near the gate, shady part feeding your baby sister."

Carl conveyed his thanks with a small two-finger salute and walked off art a leisurely pace, not trying to exacerbate his condition.

After about a five minute walk Carl spotted his father holding his baby sister in a shady corner.

He sauntered over, Rick doesn't notice him right away since his back was facing him but Judith did as a cute little smile appeared on her face.

She started gurgling and cooing in his direction, holding out her arms asking her big brother to hold her.

The group leader noticed Judith's fidgeting and fussing and turned to who the baby was reacting to.

When he did Rick smiled, Carl was up and looking better although he still appeared pale and a bit weary, most likely from the walk over here.

"You look a lot a better, a bit on the pale side but better" Rick said while Judith was fidgeting wildly, she wanted to see her brother and no one was going to stop her.

Carl's gaze then fell upon Judith.

He smiled at her and at gently took her from his father.

Upon entering her brother's arms she immediately started snuggling into his chest, she had apparently missed him during his four day absence.

Carl quickly looked around and noticed a picnic table and strode over and sat down, while he was feeling better he was still a bit weak so he understood his body's cues when it was time to rest.

He propped Judith on his knee and began to play with her.

Rick wasn't aware of this since Glenn's station wagon pulled up.

"I'm heading down into town, to see if I can't find a Walgreen's or something to see if I can pickup some cold medicines and some fruit juice for Carl since the vitamin C will help restore his immune system."

Rick gave the Asian man and odd look at the last item.

It must have shown on the leader's face since Glenn elaborated

"When I was younger, my mother would give me fruit juice, usually apple juice or better orange juice. The vitamin C in those juice help strengthen the immune system."

Rick smiled and shook his head

"Alright be safe, but make sure it hasn't expired last thing he needs is food poisoning"

Daryl assisted Carol in opening the gate.

A sudden shriek of laughter forced Rick to turn around and what he saw would probably keep him smiling for the rest of the week.

The image of Judith and Carl sitting at the table playing.

Carl had put Judith in her carrier so they could play peek-a-boo.

Carl was using his hat to cover his sister's eyes.

"Where did Judith go?"

The baby giggled, she liked this game.

"Where is she?"

Carl was using funny voice although Rick could hear a raspy edge, Hershel did say that Scarlet Fever was resilient that Carl may have several relapses before it left his system for good.

Luckily Hershel also mentioned that once his son got over the illness fully it would be hard for Scarlet Fever to infect him again since he would be immune to it.

"There she is"

another shriek of laughter sounded, Carl chuckled a bit too.

It almost brought tears to Rick's eyes, the scene playing out before him, was something seldom seen with the world they lived in now.

Carl though still sick was happy and care free.

Rick took a mental snapshot and ingrained into his memory, he didn't want to lose it nor did he want to interrupt the two it was too sweet of a moment.

Rick sensed a presence and looked back to see Hershel hobbling over.

"Truly an enchanting sight isn't it" the aged veterinarian. "It's important to stop and savor these moments, especially now with the world we live in."

Rick nodded and peered back at his son and daughter.

"I foresee Judith coming to adore her big brother, bonding moments like this are special for both younger and older sibling."

As if on cue Judith emphasized Hershel's point by leaning forward and pressing her little forehead against Carl's much larger brow and started to coo loudly making her big brother laugh.

Judith gave her brother the cue to hold her again which the teen responded quickly. Once happily situated in her brother's lap the baby gave large yawn.

The little girl had warn herself out. She adjusted herself, tucking her head under Carl's chin and resting her head against the boy's chest.

Carl watched with a warm yet gentle smile and he could feel his illness flaring up, he was feeling worse by the minute.

It was such a nice day out, not too hot, not too cold just right so Carl didn't want to abandon his sister for his bed.

That's when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

The teen turned his head toward a hammock that was strung up between two wall sections.

The funny thing was it wasn't there before but Carl wasn't about to pass it up.

A quick nap would help dissipate the Scarlet Fever.

Carl stood and carefully walked over and successfully managed to lay down in the hammock with Judith in his arms.

The teen lied back Judith still nestled under his chin. He looked down and was greeted with a sleeping Judith. This brought another warm smile to the boy's face, his sister loved him a lot and felt safe enough to fall asleep on top of him, a fact Carl didn't mind at all.

He wraps one arm around her so she doesn't fall out of the hammock and closed his eyes answering his body's urges.

Rick and Hershel both smiled at the touching scene a content Judith sleeping on top of a weakened Carl.

"Aw that's cute" Beth said walking up to her father and Rick.

The three left the Grimes siblings to their nap.

Carl is awoken by a wet sensation on his nose, he opened his eyes and is greeted by Judith's pearly blues.

It appeared she had woken before her brother and decided to alert Carl with a sloppy open-mouthed kiss since she didn't know how to kiss properly.

"Well hello to you too Judith" the baby giggled in response.

The teen grasped Judith a bit more firmly as he carefully stood up. Judith began to fuss and Carl could tell why as a distinct stench reached his nose.

"Okay I think it's time we find Dad" Carl stated with a chuckle.

"No need" came the voice of Beth who approached from the picnic table.

"I decided to wait here while you two napped, which was adorable seeing Judith voluntarily taking a nap on top of you no less." Carl blushed.

"I'll take her"

Carl kissed Judith on her forehead and handed her to Beth.

"Let's go get you changed Princess Stinky" his surrogate sister teased.

Carl smiled as Beth walked away.

Carl proceeded to follow Beth when some shouting caught his attention while he passed the main gate. The voices didn't belong to anyone in the group and yet Carl recognized them.

The teen ran to the gate and saw the source of the commotion. A pair of boys were being chased by the walkers that were released into the prison's outer yard during the Governor's attack a few day prior.

What was more Carl knew them. They were about to be overrun by the walkers. Carl's golden heart took hold as he drew his pistol and pushed open the gate

"Hey! You guys"

Carl shouted getting their attention while killing the three corpses that had the new group's back.

"Come on! Run I'll cover you!"

The boys didn't need to be told twice as they took down the walkers in front of them and took of toward the gates.

Carl took out three more. Once the leader's son was sure all five were through the gate Carl pushed the gate closed before any walkers could cross the threshold.

He turned to face the group and as he thought he knew them. Two of the boys were frozen as they too seemed to recognize him.

Carl smiled as his heart warming at the sight of the two.

"JACK! MARK!"

The two other boys were taken aback at Carl.

"...Carl?" Jack muttered his eyes glistened with tears.

"Well don't that beat all" Mark LaPorte stated in a whispered voice.

"Jack, Mark I didn't think you made it out." Carl said just as emotional.

Rick, Glenn and Michonne appeared on the scene having heard the shots from Carl's pistol.

"What happened" Rick said as he reached the group.

"Who are they?" noticing the other kids.

"Easy Dad, It wasn't anything to serious, these guys were cornered by walkers out there and since I recognized them and decided to help."

"How do you know them?" Glenn asked looking at the new group of kids.

"I know them from school, before the world ended." Carl explained "these two, were...rather are my best friends; I've known them since I was four.

Carl took a minute to catch his breath making Rick kick himself for forgetting that Carl was still sick.

"The one here with the Sub Machine gun is Jack Winslow"

Jack was a slightly pudgy boy with a mop of curly brown hair.

His eyes were misty blue and he was wearing a very dingy blue shirt with white stripes in a horizontal pattern and a pair of beige khakis like the kind worn with school uniforms.

He was equipped with a SMG which was hanging around his neck.

"The southern gear-head over there is Mark LaPorte"

Mark was a stocky lad with wavy, chocolate brown hair. He wore a two-toned gray shirt with black jeans, he was armed with a Colt revolver and a Winchester lever-action shotgun.

"Howdy Sheriff you do remember me don't ya" Mark greeted with a distinct southern twang to his voice.

Rick eyed Mark suspiciously

"Let me make one thing clear, if you two bring trouble I will not hesitate to put you in the ground."

Mark and Jack exchanged looks but Carl's eyes filled with rage.

"You don't have to worry about them Dad, I know them personally, Jack is a medical prodigy while Mark may look like some southern country boy but he is a technical and mechanical genius. On top of that they are good guys."

Rick eyed his his son

"They are now...but for how long"

Carl azure orbs widen at his father's accusation.

Something was off maybe Rick was even more unstable after his wife's death than his son originally thought.

"They can stay for now, but if they put one toe out of line I'll personally feed you to the walkers"

Rick threatened before stalking away leaving a fuming Carl and a stunned Glenn and Michonne.

 **[Well this one took me a while, so what did you think the part with Carl and Judith, I wrote that scene because there a sad lack of sweet scenes with Carl And Judith together; also If I kind of messed up Rick a bit I apologize I'm trying to lay the ground work for eventual confrontation and power struggle between Carl and Rick. so what do you think Read and review they give me motivation to continue]**


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